A communications satellite designed and built by embattled aerospace giant Boeing has broken up in orbit.
The satellite’s operator, Intelsat, has confirmed the “total loss” of iS-33e, which has affected customers in Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
Intelsat also says it has taken steps to complete “a comprehensive analysis” of the incident.
Boeing has been facing crises on multiple fronts, with a strike at its commercial plane business and issues with its Starliner spacecraft.
An alert on the platform said the US Space Forces also said it is “currently tracking around 20 associated pieces” of the satellite.
Orbits and their height are determined by the speed the object is moving at. Getting into orbit isn’t about getting something very high, it’s about getting it moving very fast. Geostationary height is the height that the object is moving at the same rotational speed as the body it’s orbiting. Any lower or higher and it won’t be geostationary anymore.